Grape-packing system



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 HA WILHELM GRAPE PACKING SYSTEM Filed 001'.. '7 1922May 27 1924.

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H. H. WILHELM GRAPE PACKING SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 E? Z 62m,

Filed Oct.

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Patented May Z7, 1.924.i

fsrrEs HERMAN WILHELM, or DIUBA, cALIroRNIA.

GRAPELPACKING SYSTEM.

ToV all fr/tom t may concern.'

Be I' it known that I, HERMAN H. WIL- HELM, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Dinuba,V in the county of rlulare and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Grape-Pack-ving Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to packing systems of that type in which worktables are employed for the sorting and packing of grapes or any otherfruit or articles and the lugs or receptacles removed after-they havebeen packed. Under present day and modern requirements prescribed bylaws governing the operations of labor in various States it is requiredto provide facilities for handling containers of fruit and otherproducts so that lifting of more than a certain weight by hand isavoided from the time the containers are placed upon the work tableuntil the contents have been sorted,fpacked, inspected and the finishedproductv finally removed and especially are these requirements enforcedwhere female help is employed in large packing houses. The primaryobject of this invention isl adapted for sorting, packing and inspect.

ing grapes, it is to be understood that it is not restricted to suchuse, but 1s equally applicable to tables for any other purposes whichinvolves similar movements on the part of the operator.

This invention is adapted to be constructed as a series of adjacent'similar table units, 'connectedk ltogether or separate as may bedesired, each unit forming a complete work table for one operator.

The following description will be conned specifically to theconstruction of one table unit, it being understood that any de-Application filed October 7, 1922. Serial No. 593,160.

sired number of such units may be used, all having a common supply rackor receiving element and a common discharge conveyor ordelivery element,as will be later set forth. f

\ In the `accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Fig.1 is a side view of my invention, the field lbox `or receptaclereceiving element at the right be ing shown partlyin cross section; Fig.2 isan end view of one of the transversely arranged work tables. theline'2-2 indicating theposition in Fig. 1 `from which the view is taken;Fig. 3 is a section' of Fig. 1 taken on the line 3 3, and Fig: 4L is aplan view of myL invention, one of the transversely arranged work tablesbeing shown in extended position for assisting the operator intransferring the lugs or rel ceptacles thereon to the lug or receptacledelivery element at the left.

In the drawings, A indicates the receiving element for a series ofcontainers B, saidY receiving element being in the form of a skeletonframe of anyfdesired construction upon which are mounted longi tudinalmembers 12, 13 and 14;, which are supported by the 'legs 15 and thetransverse and longitudinal members 16'. The longitudinal members 12 and13 are arranged so as to support a longitudinal series of thereceptacles or boxes filled with grapes or other fruit or produce freshfrom the field to be packed, graded and sorted. These receptacles areplaced with their bot-- toms slanting downwardly against a stopishoulder 17 at the lower ends towards the work side of' thereceivingelement.

At spaced intervals 'projecting on the work side ofthe receiving elementare hori* zontal and laterally disposed pairs of, parallel track rails18 and 19, each pair of said rails evtending across and secured to theframe vand projecting at the rear side of the receiving element-to forma support upon which a platform 20 is mounted for supporting a supply ofthe field boxes .previous to being set in slanting and working positionupon the supports 12 and 13. They frame of the receiving elementalsqreinforced lby braces 21.

A. delivery element C is arranged parallel to the receiving element at adistance from the outer ends of the. track rails 1S and 19 on. the. workside of the receiving` element and consists as shown of a rollerconveyor composed of a suitable frame 23 upon which are journaled alseries of antifriction rollers 24 to assist in delivering the lugs orcrates containingv the grapes or other product after packing, sortingand inspecting.

Arranged to travel laterally towards and away from the delivery elementC, on the pairs of tracks 18 and 19 are work tables D. Each tableconsists of a pair of slides 25 and 26 supported at their outer ends bythe legs 27 and secured by cross pieces and braces 28 and 29. Theseslides are parallel over the tracks 18 and 19 and bear thereon by theanti-friction ball casters 30 to reduce friction. The lower ends of thelegs 27 also bear upon the floor by the ball casters 31 so that theentire table may be moved freely in and out upon the track rails 18 and19. Suitable guides 32 and 33 serve to hold the slides in place upon thetrack rails 18 and 19 during said movement. The slide 25 is higher thanthe slide 9.6, on its outer portion, whereby the lugs or receptacles tobe packed with grapes or other produce may be supported in downwardlyslanting position thereon towards the packer standing adjacent to thework side of the table. The receptacle supporting portions of the slides25 and 26 are provided with wear strips 34- and 35 upon which thereceptacles rest and the lower slide is also provided upon its upperportion with a stop strip 86, against which the lower corners of thereceptacles rest to prevent the receptacles from sliding away. Thelength of the receptacle supporting portion of the work. table .issuflicient to hold two receptacles 87 to be packed with grapes orproduce but the length and size may be varied to suit any requirements.rlhe distance between the outer ends of the work tables D when inreceded position and the delivery element C and the distance betweenadjoining work tables are suiiicient to provide free movement of packersand inspectors during the packing and inspection of fruit or otherproduce and materials. The height of the receiving element A., worktables D and delivery element C is calculated so that a minimum oflifting eiiort is necessary by the operator during the packing of thefruit and delivery of the receptacles lilled with the fruit or otherproduce. Empty receptacles or lugs 37 are supplied from an overhead rackE supported from the ceiling` within easy reach of the packer.

lfn operation field boxes or receptacles B loaded with grapes or otherproduce to be graded, sorted and packed are placed upon nena-ase thereceiving element as shown. The packer stands facing the work side ofthe work table D when the latter is in receded position. The grapes orother produce are then lifted according to quality from the field boxesand placed in the lugs or receptacles 37, the two receptacles 37permitting first and second quality to be packed separately. When thereceptacles 37 are filled or partly filled the work table D is slid intooutermost position as shown in Figs. 1 and 4; and the culls picked fromthe bunches or other produce in the receptacles or remaining in thefield boxes dumped or dropped into a chute 40, which is provided belowand between the track bars 18 and 19 from whence they slide into acontainer F, placed in the lower portion of the receiving element forthat purpose. The filled lugs or receptacles loaded with assorted andgraded grapes or produce are readily shifted with substantially nolifting effort from the work table onto the delivery element C and thetable moved into receded position in readiness to repeat the operation.From time to time an inspector can readily pass down the aisle betweenthe delivery element and the outer ends of the receded work tables andinspect the produce and quality of work being performed.

In accordance with the patent statutes, l have described the principlesof operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I nowconsider to represent thc best embodiment but I desire to have itunderstood that the construction shown is only illustrative and that theinvention can be carried out by other means and applied to uses otherthan those above set forth within the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus of the class set forth, comprising, in combination, alongitudinal receiving element for holding fruit containers, a pluralityof work tables movably mounted for free transverse movement outwardlyaway from said receiving element whereby the movement of said containersaway from said receiving element is facilitated.

Q. rlpparatus of the class set forth, coinprising. in combination, alongitudinal receiving bench for receptacles having a plurality of pairsof track rails extending laterally from one side thereof, work tablesmovably mounted upon said rails to travel outwardly thereon away fromsaid bench for receiving said receptacles and anti-friction supports onthe outer ends of said tables adapted to bear upon a support below tofacilitate the movement of the tables.

3. Apparatus of the class set forth, comprising, in combination, alongitudinal rel ceiving bench for receptacles having:r a plurality ofpairsof track rails extending laterally from one side thereof, worktables movably mounted upon said rails to move outwardly thereon awayfrom said bench for receiving said receptacles, anti-friction supportsbelow the outer ends of said tables to facilitate the movement of thetables, and a chute below each pair of rails into which the culls orrefuse removed from the 1 receptacles may be thrown.

In Witness whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

HERMAN H. WILHELM.

